The Relationship Between Children's Levels of Interest and Freedom of Choice in First-Grade Classrooms.

Szczesnowicz, Roma Krystyna

This study examined the relationship between various levels of teacher restriction or accommodation of student behaviors and the levels of interest shown by pupils in certain types of classroom activities. A total of six first grade teachers in two schools were given the Open Program Structure Index (OPSI) and, based on their scores, were rated along a continuum from restrictive to accommodating. Ten students, randomly selected from each teacher's class, were observed while they engaged in each of three types of tasks: (1) closed (workcards), (2) relatively closed (books and table games), and (3) open (creative activity). Their interest in each of these tasks was rated as high, medium, or low, based on the Interest Rating Scale which measures persistence in activity, ease of distractibility, and whether contact with others is work related. The findings revealed a significant negative correlation between the teacher's OPSI scores and the students' interest ratings across all four tasks. This correlation suggests that students of restrictive teachers display higher levels of interest in common classroom activities than students of accommodating teachers. The appendix contains the Open Program Structure Index and the Interest Rating Scales. (JMB)